Remembering to Appreciate Your Patients

As we move through our days and fall into routines, we often forget to appreciate the actual patients we serve. The elderly woman that loves to chat, the child you’ve watched grow up, all of these patients are choosing to come see you and your organization. When is the last time you said a genuine “Thank You” to your patients or truly thanked them for choosing your practice?

Being congenial to patients we encounter is one thing, but stopping to say thank you is certainly another. Yesterday, when I arrived home from work and gathered the mail, I noticed a handwritten envelope addressed to my husband. Not being for me, I continued to sift through the pile and disregarded the letter. Later, while fixing dinner, I heard my husband say, “Who in the world is this from?” as he opened the envelope I had seen earlier, he pulled out a small card that said, “Thank You” on the front flap. As he continued to read the note inside, he realized this was sent from a business owner we had hired to do some work at our house the previous week. This same man gave us an extra pair of work gloves when he was finished that had his business name printed on them and told us, “I like all my customers to have a pair of gloves to work with!”

Simple touches like telling your customers thank you or providing them with an additional gift can be monumental when it comes to referrals and overall customer satisfaction. Taking the time and effort to continuously make these commitments can be the difference between you and your competitors and what makes your business stand out. Think about your practice… do you thank your patients for choosing you or simply take their business for granted? Be sure to assess the way your organization feels about patients and strive to show them how much you truly care.